Murphy, Boston College will get a better test vs. Pitt

On Friday night when BC hosts Pitt in the ACC opener for both teams, more of Murphy will be shown in a matchup of teams that will likely fight for bowl eligibility throughout the year.

By Eric AvidonDaily News staff

CHESTNUT HILL — A small piece of Tyler Murphy was revealed last Saturday when Boston College opened its season by blowing out UMass.

He showed his skill as a runner, the Eagles’ dual threat quarterback became the first BC QB to ever top 100 yards in a game when he ran for a team-best 118 yards in a 30-7 victory. He demonstrated his improvisational skill, making something of nothing on broken passing plays, and excelled in the read option.

On Friday night when BC hosts Pitt in the ACC opener for both teams (ESPN, 7 p.m.), more of Murphy will be shown in a matchup of teams that will likely fight for bowl eligibility throughout the year.

The Eagles ran over, through, and around the Minutemen, gaining 338 yards on the ground alone, but yards figure to be more difficult to come by against a more skilled Panthers defense. That will force Murphy’s arm to play a critical role in whether it’s BC or Pitt that moves to 2-0.

"We spent a lot of time today on the throwing game today — that was most of our practice," second-year coach Steve Addazio said Tuesday. "We’re trying to develop that every day. We’re certainly working at it very hard."

Murphy, a senior who spent four years at Florida before transferring to BC for his final season, threw some last Saturday.

He completed 17 of 24 passes for 173 yards with a touchdown and an interception. Previously, he completed 60.5 percent of his passes for 1,216 yards with six TD passes and five interceptions with the Gators.

Though comfortable running the ball, he’s excited about the opportunity to unfurl another aspect of his game. And as Addazio noted, he and a young, inexperienced group of receivers have put in significant work preparing to be a bigger part of the offense.

"They’re used to a physical attack, so we’re going to have to do some things to really make some explosives down the field and open up our run game," said Murphy. "Anytime you’re a quarterback and the coach is putting some things in to help the run game out by taking some shots downfield you get excited. ... My job is just to keep us in good situations, keep us out of third-and-longs, and allow us to get first down and move the chains."

Despite the work BC has done over the last week preparing to throw, the Eagles remain a run-first offense and will look to establish the ground game behind an offensive line that will be missing senior guard Harris Williams, who suffered a broken ankle last week and is out 6-8 weeks — senior Aaron Kramer will start.

Pitt will do the exact same thing, though the Panthers have a different style.

Last year, featuring the bruising Andre Williams, the Eagles were a straight ahead rushing team. This year, with shifty backs like Myles Willis and Tyler Rouse, not to mention Murphy, they often run out of the shotgun and are just as likely to go wide as they are to run between the tackles.

Pitt, meanwhile, more closely resembles what BC was with Williams. And the Panthers, though playing FCS foe Delaware, gained an astronomical 409 yards on the ground last week in a 62-0 shellacking.

James Connor led the way with 153 yards, with Rachid Ibrahim adding 91 and Chris James 77. Quarterback Chad Voytik attempted just 13 passes in the rout.

"We were saying the other day, ‘It’s going to be a war Friday night,’ " said senior linebacker Sean Duggan. "I think everyone’s getting their mindset ready for that. It’s an old-school game. It’s a line up and hit them game. It’s definitely fun."

The season gets real on Friday night.

BC’s warmup game is in the rearview, as is Pitt’s, and the two will butt heads in a clash of power against power at Alumni Stadium. The winner will be one step closer to the magical mark of six wins, while the other will be scrambling.

And unlike last Saturday, Murphy, the senior transfer, will have to show everything he’s got.

Eric Avidon can be reached at 508-626-3809 or eavidon@wickedlocal.com. Follow him on Twitter @ericavidon.